Attractions & Events
LEGOLAND California is gearing up to celebrate its 25th birthday (aka "brickday") in a big way. The park will introduce Dino Valley, a new land with three rides, a wholly transformed dino-dig space, and character meet and greets this spring. The new attractions include DUPLO Little Dino Trail, Explorer River Quest, and Coastersaurus.
Spring is in full swing at Sesame Place San Diego. Elmo's Eggstravaganza is back for select dates through April 7 and will feature a Golden Egg Hunt, photos with the Easter Bunny, and Easter Storytime. Families can also enjoy Elmo's Springtacular for select dates through May 19 with a lineup of furry fun and exciting events throughout the springtime celebration.
SeaWorld San Diego invites guests to experience the world of jellyfish in a new and interactive way with the debut of Jewels of the Sea: The Jellyfish Experience this spring. Visitors can see striking habitats, from one of the largest jelly cylinders in the country to an iconic walk-through arch and a giant viewing wall.
The 12th Annual Opening Weekend Block Party in East Village is back on March 30. In front of Petco Park, this event, in collaboration with the San Diego Padres, honors all things East Village, including local small businesses, music and entertainment, and various family-friendly activities. East Village proudly stands as San Diego’s largest downtown neighborhood with more than 700 businesses contributing a dynamic and vibrant environment.
San Diego and Tijuana have been named the 2024 World Design Capital. This distinction gives a platform to and celebrates the cities’ contributions to art and design. From May 1-5, The World Design Festival will take place in Tijuana. The festival will engage the cross-border community and international visitors to experience design in Tijuana through multiple programmatic activities, which include lectures, design exhibitions, public design workshops, and design studio open houses.
New Hotels & Renovations
Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina's multimillion-dollar renovation of the Marina Tower will launch in early 2024. The redesign of the Marina Tower focuses on the hotel's public spaces, guest rooms and suites. The resort will also welcome four new concepts: Rumorosa, a Cali-Baja-inspired dining outlet, the first San Diego Brewery X location, Sunglow harborside bar and cabana club, and Strada, a casual grab-and-go eatery.
Arts & Culture
The Berenice Abbott: Changing New York exhibit is now open at The San Diego Museum of Art through June 16. Guests are invited to experience this monumental photography project that captures the rapid transformation of New York City in the 1930s. The series includes over 300 black-and-white photographs featuring a range of subjects—modern skyscrapers, harbors, highways, city squares, neighborhoods, storefronts, and hand-painted signs—that capture the essence of a specific time and place.
The Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego has announced Forecast Form: Art in the Caribbean Diaspora, 1990s on view from April 18 through July 28. Forecast Form challenges conventional ideas about the region and reveals the Caribbean as a place defined by constant exchange, displacement, and movement rather than by geography, language, or ethnicity.
The Japanese Friendship Garden is celebrating the annual Japanese tradition of Hanami with the 2024 Cherry Blossom Festival from March 7-10. The garden will host a variety of daily performances and fun activities for the entire family, including taiko drummers and a cosplay contest. Visitors will be able to stroll the upper and lower garden to experience the various features of the property and enjoy the beauty of the blossoming Cherry Blossom Trees.
San Diego Botanic Garden will host its 4th annual World of Orchids in Spring 2024. The floral designs will feature impressive orchid specimens, locally bred hybrids, and rare species plants displayed in unique and unexpected ways.
In celebration of the San Diego Natural History Museum's 150th birthday in 2024, the museum is offering free, one-time admission during the visitor's birthday month. The museum continues the party with a new outdoor Nature Trail, opening in spring 2024, showcasing varieties of beneficial plants native to the San Diego and Baja regions.
The Visions Museum of Textile Art, located in the Liberty Station Arts District, has three new exhibits for visitors to enjoy this spring. Tiny Pieces, Vast Visions combines four contemporary art quilters to showcase their mastery of the medium and the transformative power of "piecing." Sense of Place explores the interplay between urban landscapes and individual narratives with intricately crafted recycled paper, textiles, and soft materials. The Guardian Quilts displays the quilts of Irene Roderick, an Austin-based fiber artist. Her pieces challenge the perception of quilts as solely utilitarian, drawing inspiration from influential museum exhibitions that redefined quilts as fine art. All exhibits are on display through April 27.
The NTC and Cygnet Theatre recently broke ground in the Liberty Station Arts District for The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Performing Arts Center. The space, anticipated to open in spring 2025, will include a 289-seat proscenium theatre and a 150-seat flexible studio space, as well as state-of-the-art back-of-house support spaces such as dressing rooms, two green rooms, a costume shop, dedicated rehearsal and orchestra spaces and more.
Restaurants, Breweries & Bars
Michelin-starred Chef Drew Deckman of Baja's decorated Deckman's en el Mogor will open his family's first U.S. restaurant in the spring of 2024 in San Diego's North Park neighborhood. Watershed will be a cause-based concept committed to funding regenerative farming projects and advocating for sustainability at every level of the restaurant's operations.
The historic Lafayette Hotel recently revealed the latest installment of its transformation with Lou Lou's Jungle Bar. The bar brings a New York jazz nightclub atmosphere and live music to the historic clam shell stage, as well as prix fixe dining and elevated craft cocktails. The property is also set to debut Le Horse, a luxurious European-style restaurant that will pay homage to early 20th-century hotel fine dining, later this spring.
Puffer Malarkey Collective, the San Diego-based hospitality collective behind Animae, Herb & Wood and Herb & Sea, is opening Le Coq this spring. The newest collaboration between celebrated chef Brian Malarkey and seasoned restaurant operator Christopher Puffer will be a 175-seat French-inspired steakhouse in the building that previously housed Herringbone La Jolla.
Helmed by partners Dan Valerino and Chef Joe Bower, Finca has opened its doors in North Park. Chef Bower delivers an innovative selection of market-driven California tapas at an accessible price point intended to complement Spain’s drinking culture with items ranging from Patatas Bravas to Surf and Turf Toast to Fried Chicken & Caviar. To accompany Bower’s culinary offerings, guests can enjoy a robust but thoughtfully considered beverage program. True to its commitment of access to wine education and bringing lesser-known Spanish and Californian wines to the forefront, Finca will also offer frequent wine tastings and a wine club.
Award-winning chef Phillip Esteban is adding to his growing list of fast-casual restaurant concepts with the opening of the long-awaited Wildflour in Liberty Station this spring. Influenced by minimalist bakeries, hustling and bustling deli services from around the world, and integrating a mix of Southern California vibes, Wildflour will offer an all-day menu for a casual sit-down or takeout experience. From its namesake in the Philippines, the restaurant will focus on local ingredients, seafood and provisions.
Following a 10-year closure, the Whaling Bar will reopen in early 2024. Opened in the 1940’s, the Wailing Bar was a favorite among notable locals and luminaries like Tom Hanks and Robin Williams. The new rendition will incorporate a new design but will bring back some original nautical-themed paintings and cocktails. The cocktail lounge will continue as part of the hotel, but its cocktail and bar menu will be created and managed by the SDCM Restaurant Group.
A new bar and restaurant concept has made home in Little Italy. Roman Wolves is centered around a traditional Roman menu with a contemporary twist. Menu favorites include classics like carbonara, cacio e pepe, and pinsa alla mortazza (Roman style folded pizzas), each meticulously prepared to stay true to their Roman origins. At the heart of Roman Wolves is the bar and lounge area with an expansive cocktail and wine selection.
Bivouac Ciderworks will debut a new, multi-use concept in early 2024. The Bivouac Adventure Lodge will triple the women-powered cidery's square footage and serve as an all-day community hub anchored by generous communal seating to foster connection. The space will also feature a coffee shop and communal 'co-working' inspired space, a market for cider and 'chef-driven pantry' items and other locally sourced provisions, a retail store for adventure-inspired gifts and a cider education and tasting bar.
Starlight Hospitality Group recently opened SAGO in Encinitas. Set in a lavish jungle-esque environment, SAGO’s decor, ambiance, and live music set the stage for a modern supper club that transforms to an exhilarating lounge and nightlife experience. SAGO offers the sleepy beach town a new late-night option for those looking for an upscale restaurant and an even better party.
This spring, Busalacchi Restaurants will launch a new restaurant and bar, Lala, in a cozy indoor-outdoor space adjacent to Barbusa in the Little Italy neighborhood. Lala will echo the charming atmosphere of its Italian-influenced neighborhood with a culinary and cocktail program centered on Mediterranean influences and a few fun, unconventional twists.
Sister duo Crystal and Chantelle Godinez of Sunday Breakfast Society will open doors to Carne y Hueso in North Park this spring. The menu will draw from the culturally distinct Mexican regions of Puebla Jalisco, and Oaxaca, showcasing ancestral ingredients and lesser-known specialties in a new light.
Awards and Recognitions
Travel data analytics firm Cirium ranked the San Diego International Airport among the most punctual in the world, and the travel website Upgraded Points analyzed 50 of the busiest airports and named San Diego the No. 1 best U.S. airport for a layover thanks to its plentiful lounges.
Transportation
San Diego International Airport (SAN) recently announced it will welcome Breeze Airways this spring and will offer five new flight options in and out of San Diego. Starting in late April, Breeze Airways will offer nonstop flights to Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, followed by Jacksonville, Florida; Norfolk, Virginia; Cincinnati, Ohio; and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
International airlines have recently announced their spring operating schedules for the San Diego International Airport. British Airways announced that they will increase flights to twice daily to accommodate rising number of travelers. Lufthansa and JapanAir will continue their current operation of 5 and 4 weekly flights, respectively. Both Air Canada and EasyJet have announced tentative schedules with near daily service for various cities.
For more information on San Diego’s offerings, including exciting vacation packages and valuable coupons for attractions, restaurants and more, visit the San Diego Tourism Authority’s website at www.sandiego.org.
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